


Found

by Guardian Of The Lotus (DistantStorm)



Series: Fictober 2019 [2]
Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: F/M, Kinderguardians, do not copy to another site, lil baby guardian with a crush, tower mom and dad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2019-10-02
Packaged: 2020-11-08 18:33:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20840102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DistantStorm/pseuds/Guardian%20Of%20The%20Lotus
Summary: Hawthorne finds a new Guardian on the streets of the Last City. Apparently she's been doing that a lot, lately.Written for day 2 of the Fictober 2019 Challenge on Tumblr: "Just follow me, I know the area."





	Found

“Just follow me, I know the area.”

The new Guardian clings to her like a shadow, their Ghost trilling in a series of tones and clicks to indicate that everything is alright. She leads them through markets and crowded, rebuilding streets. 

"Another one?" Someone hollers from behind them both.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Their Ghost asks with a tiny, delicate blink.

She turns. The Guardian bumps into her chest, staggering. She hands grab their shoulders, steadying them. It's as if she suspected they wouldn't have much spatial awareness. Her look isn't quite gentle - she seems a bit severe. "Yours is the fifth new Guardian I've spotted roaming the City this month."

The Ghost hums, segments spinning for a beat. "I've been gone for a looooong time looking for mine," They zip through the air, circling their Guardian, thrilled. "There weren't many walls when I left."

This time her face reveals a smile, and the severity is cut my something fond. "I'm glad you found them." Then, to the Ghost's partner, she says, warmly, "Welcome home, Guardian."

-/

Three weeks after being found in the Anchor District, he runs into the woman who had brought him to the Tower, dragged him into some sort of meeting, then pushed him (physically pushed him) the last ten feet to stand before the Vanguard Commander, saying almost cheerfully, "This one seems like a Titan. You're in good hands, Guardian."

Apparently she had a knack for locating the lost and lonely newbies among them - Kinderguardians, they called them. The Hunter on his Fireteam: a very lovable, gentle Arcstrider who had a tendency to disappear for days at a time and return with a stray cat (a different one each time), told him so. She wasn't the type to make things up, seeing as she hardly said anything at all.

Hawthorne - that's her name, Ghost reminds him - is sitting at a table in the courtyard off the Bazaar, reading. It seems weird to him, he's not expecting her to seem so… studious. Not that he should judge. He's been getting heckled by his other Fireteam member - also a Hunter, but this one's a Gunslinger - for his rather 'old-fashioned' tastes in Bach and Mozart.

The Titan goes to approach, but a gaggle of Guardians - rowdy and loud - come between them, all but screaming as they carry on. 

A Hunter stops in front of Hawthorne, shoulders up, head down, pouting, "He took my ammo synth!" He points at a Warlock down the way, headed for Banshee-44, the gunsmith.

She looks up from her book, almost indulgently. What comes out of her mouth is far more sarcastic. "Did you wake up this morning and forget you're a Stalker? Go invisible and take it back from him or something."

"Oh. Right!" The Hunter turns away, then casts his head to the side so he can regard her. "Thanks Suraya!"

She waves, not that the Hunter is looking anymore. Neither is she, her head is tilted down toward her book. After a second, she looks up again and hollers, "Don't let Zavala catch you! He won't be thrilled I'm encouraging getting even." Her peripheral vision is sharp, because she turns her head almost ninety degrees to face him. "Hey Titan," She says, offering him the chair across from her with another, more pointed, wave. "Chit-chat?"

He slides into the metal chair without further prompting, forearms braced on the table.

"Getting on okay? I know it's a bit… much to take in."

He nods, his staticy-soft Exo voice humming idly. "I'm getting there. You were, ah, right." Her eyes find his. "About the Commander."

"What? About him being your Vanguard?"

He nods. "How'd you know? I didn't even-"

Her eyes brighten, still so deep and dark, and that indulgent smile returns. "I just do," She says. "Spent some quality time with Lightless Guardians, during the war. Just sort of, I don't know, clicked, I guess."

"I meet Titans that are nothing like me," He informs her. "So I don't understand."

"Maybe not in personality," She supposes, bookmarking and closing her book. His eyes blink down to scan the cover. It's an old text on City history. "But most Titans I meet have a sense of self. Pride in who they are, and strong morals."

"You got that from leading me from the City to up here?"

She shrugs. "You wanted to stop and help every person lifting something heavy, and I saw you itching to help an old lady cross the street."

In his mind, his Ghost warbles something affectionate, agreeing.

"You were also humming classical music, don't know if you remember that bit."

"Really?" That interests him. "It all seemed to blend together. It was overwhelming."

"Tell me about it, kid." She stretches, leaning back in her chair. "I got heckled by Cayde - you meet him?" The Titan nods. "For a week. He wanted you to be a Hunter."

"Really?"

"To be fair," A voice calls from behind the Titan's back, "Cayde wants every Guardian to be a Hunter."

The newest Guardian hops out of his seat and to attention, knocking his chair over in his haste, emitting a hiss of embarrassment. Hawthorne laughs behind her hand as he ignores it to salute his Commander.

"At ease, soldier," He gestures for his new charge to sit.

"Care to join us?" Hawthorne asks while the newbie rights his chair. "We're discussing how I've correctly guessed every new Guardian's subclass since I joined your lot."

"What you should be talking about is how Hawthorne here is constantly finding Guardians in a myriad of locations. Guessing subclass isn't terribly difficult."

"He's bitter because he thought the last Warlock I brought in would have made a better Titan. I'm convinced it's because the girl liked knitting."

Zavala rolls his eyes, a move that makes the Exo fidget, but Hawthorne doesn't waver. "Well, if you want to talk about finding Guardians, the ones I find here are usually stuck watching shiny things. No offense, but your brains get stuck on the weirdest thing when your freshly rezzed."

"I'll say," The Kinderguardian's Ghost tips over his shoulder in motes of Light. "He stared at your poncho for half an hour thinking about how blue it was."

"The color blue is psychologically proven to be calming," Zavala interjects.

"I think it had more to do with Hawthorne than anything," The Ghost says, and his Guardian makes an intelligible sound, reaching for his Ghost and grumbling.

"I mean, can't be easy, being out there in a new world, Ghost or not," Hawthorne supposes aloud. "If I made it better, I'm doing my job."

Zavala watches her, casting a quick glance at the Titan, who gulps and looks away under the minute scrutiny. He's quick to decide he has somewhere to be, to dart away with a quick salute.

"You didn't have to scare him," Hawthorne tells him once his subordinate flees, returning to her reading.

"I did not expect him to be so intimidated."

"The new ones always act like that. Couple of the new Hunters are still so bashful in front of you they act like newborn kittens."

"That one has a soft spot for you."

"Sound like anyone else you know?" She casts him a secret smile.

"No one I can think of," He returns, but his eyes spark in an equally secret response. She returns to her reading, stretching her legs out so that her calf nudges the plating of his greaves. His Ghost transmats a datapad into his hands. Together, they enjoy the silence... 

While it lasts, that is.


End file.
